70 likes | 88 Views
Discover the key features of Stuxnet, a sophisticated worm that targeted Siemens programmable logic controllers. Learn about its impact, unanswered questions, and the lessons we can take away from this game-changing cyber attack.
E N D
Lessons from Stuxnet Matthew McNeill
Quick Overview • Discovered in July 2011 • Sophisticated worm - many zero-day exploits, Siemens programmable logic controller rootkit, network and removable drive infection, peer-to-peer updates, and a command and control interface • Injects custom code into Siemens PLC • Forces PLC to report false values for frequency converter drives and run them at speeds exceeding their capacity • Most infections in Iran
Some Quotes from Symantec • "...design documents may have been stolen by an insider..." • "Attackers would need to setup a mirrored environment..." • "...six months and five to ten core developers..." • "...obtain the digital certificates from someone who may have physically entered the premises of the two companies and stole them..." • "Updates to [the Stuxnet executable] would be propagated throughout the facility through a peer-to-peer network..."
Unanswered Questions • Who wrote it? • What was its target? • Was there an insider? • How did it enter the network?
Why Stuxnet is important • Hype aside, Stuxnet is a game changer • Infrastructure attacks - speculation vs. reality • Attacks high-value targets via conventional computer attack vectors • "What it showed was that our current ways of thinking about security are flawed." - David Kennedy, Diebold
Lessons • Vital systems not protected by a lack of Internet connection • Vital systems not protected by complexity, expense, and proprietary code • Vital systems not protected by difficulty of attack • Infiltration does not have to happen over a network • Management vs. network security • Destroy Iran's nuclear program - speculation, but worth considering
Closing Thought • Duqu • Parts nearly identical to Stuxnet • Information gathering, not sabotage - remote access • Communicated with command and control server in India • Who and why?